Apparatus for concealing graves.



No. 646,088. Patented Mar. 27, I900. G. J. cHAFFEE.

APPARATUS FOR CONOEALING GRAVES.

(Application filed Aug, 11, 1899.)

(No Model.)

NVENTOR ff-9' ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT Fries.

GUY J. OHAFFEE, or SYRACUSE, Nnw YORK.

APPARATUS FOR CONCEALING GRAVES.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 646,088, dated March 27, 1900.

Application filed August 11, 1899. Serial No. 726,859. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, GUY J. CHAFFEE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and usuful Improvements in Apparatus for Concealing Graves, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to devices employed to conceal to a great extent the grave and the casket or box containing the casket during the burial of the corpse, and thus relieve the mourners from one of the saddest sights during burial.

The object of the invention is to provide a grave-concealing apparatus which shall be simple in construction, operative automatically and independently of the devices employed for lowering the casket into the grave, and shall also obviate the necessity of excavating the grave wider than is usually required to admit the box in which the casket is deposited, which latter feature is specially important in places where the grave is to be made in proximity to another grave.

To attain said object, the invention consists chiefly in the combination of longitudinal brink-sills, lid-sections connected to said sills movably from a standing position to a horizontal meeting position, means for limiting the movement of said lid-sections below said meeting position, and means for securing a concealing-cover to the outer surfaces of said lid-sections; and the invention also consists in novel features of its detail construction and auxiliary devices connected therewith, as hereinafter described, and set forth in the claims.

In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is an end view of my invention placed in position to allow the casket to be lowered into the grave and to conceal the grave and automatically close the mouth of the grave during the descent of thecasket. Fig. 2 is a plan view of my invention shown closed over the grave. Figs. 3 and4 are transverse sections on lines X X and YY in Fig. 2 and showing, respectively, the bare structure and ornamentation of the lid -sections and Fig. 5 is a transverse section of my invention in its open position.

Similar letters of reference indicate correresponding parts.

a a represent two sills placed longitudinally upon the brink of the grave and held in place by cross-bars b I), placed between them at the ends of the grave A. To the inner top edge of each of the sills a a is hinged a lidsection 0, as shown at c, which lid-section is movable from a standing position, as shown in Fig. 1, to a horizontal position over the grave A, to which latter position the movement of the lid-section is limited by the ends thereof resting upon the cross-bars b b, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and when in said position the two lid-sections meet centrally over the grave. Although I do not limit myself to any special construction of said lidsections, yet I prefer to form. them of longitudinal slats d d, fastened to the tops of transverse bars e e, preferably of steel or iron. The free ends of the bars e e I bend or curve outward, as shown at e, for the purpose hereinafter explained.

ff denote springs which are each connected at one end to the inner side of one of the cross-bars b at the center of its length. The opposite ends of said springs are each connected to one of the lid-sections, adjacent to the meeting edges thereof, said springs serving to insure the automatic closing of the lidsections.

Upon the outer faces of the slats d d I place wires or suitable straps it, extending lengthwise of the slats and secured thereto by hooks h h or other suitable fastening devices. The purpose of said wires orstraps is to secure to the exterior of the lid-sections suit able ornamental coverings, such as evergreens or other plants or flowers, as indicated at Z Zin Fig. 4 of the drawings, said ornamentations being held in position by means of the wires or straps i t and serving to conceal the lid-sections when in their closed position over the grave. The operation of my invention is as follows: Before the arrival of the funeral at the cemetery my invention is placed in position for'use by placing the brink-sills a 00 upon the surface along the sides of the grave and interposing the cross-bars b b at the ends of the grave to properly sustain the brink-sills in position. The lid-sections C, which are com nected to said sills and rest upon the crossbars Z2 b, are then swung up to allow the usual bars 25 t to be passed through notches n n on the hinged edges of the lid-sections and to be placed with their ends upon the brink-sills a a to support upon said bars t t the casket or the box B containing the casket. In placing said casket orbox upon the bars 15 tthe lid-sections O C are to be swung outward suflicient to allow the casket or box to be introduced between them and placed in proper position over the grave, and then the lid-sections G C are allowed to rest,with the free ends of the transverse bars e 6 against the sides of the casket or box, as represented in Fig. 1 of the drawings. In the operation of lowering the casket or box into the grave the bars 15 t are with drawn from under the casket or box, which is then lowered into the grave either by straps manipulated by persons in charge or by any suitable appliances. In the descent of the casket or box the lid-sections C O are drawn into closed position by the springs f f, and when closed said lid-sections rest upon the stationary cross-bars 11 b, by which they are supported in horizontal position.

I do not limit myself to the use of the aforesaid springs, inasmuch as the lid-sections will in many cases close automatically by gravity.

In some instances the box B has the edges of its lid projecting at the sides of the box, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. For this reason I form the free ends of the bars 6 e with the outward bends e to allow the projeeting edges of the lid of the box to enter between said bends and pry the two lid-sections asunder, so as to allow the box to descend.

.VVhat I claim as my invention is- 1. A grave-concealing apparatus consisting of brink-sills, lid-sections connected to said sills movably from a standing position to a meeting position over the grave, means for eeaoes limiting the movement of said lid-sections be low said meeting position, and means for securing a concealing-cover to the outer surfaces of the lid-sections.

2. The improved grave-concealing apparatus consisting of brink-sills, lid-sections hinged to the inner top edges of said sills, stationary bars supporting said lid-sections in horizontal position and springs drawing the lid-sections into horizontal position as set forth.

3. In combination with brink-sills, 1id-sections hinged to said sills and composed of Iongitudinal slats and transverse bars secured to said slats, means for securing ornamenta= tion to said slats, and stationary bars disposed uuder the ends of the lid-sections and supporting the same in horizontal position as set forth.

4. In combination with brink-sills, lidsec tions hinged to the inner top edges of said sills and provided in their hinged edges with notches for the insertion of. the casket-supporting bars as set forth.

5. In combination with brink-sills, lid-sections hinged to said sills and composed of longitudinal slats and transverse bars secured to said slats, and wires extending lengthwise of the tops of the slats and fastened thereto as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In combination with brink-sills, lid-sec tions hinged to said sills and composed of longitudinal slats fastened to transverse bars having the free ends curved outward to receive between them the projecting top of the casket or box, springs drawing the lid-sections into closed position, and stationary bars supporting the lid-sections horizontally in their closed position as set forth.

GUY J. OHAFFEE.

Witnesses:

J. J. LAASS, H. B. SMITH. 

